Song of Planeptune
by NapkinBox
Summary: Nepgear is bound to her past by a song Neptune used to sing to her. She had forgotten how it went years after Neptune's death until a mysterious girl appeared and started singing. Who is she, and why is she the only key to Nepgear's only source of happiness?


Nepgear yawned into her hand as she leaned against her Gun Blade. She was getting bored chasing helpless monsters around, so instead, she decided to give this one a fighting chance. Unfortunately, it was just as boring.

"N-Nepgear…" Noire used the cliffside behind her to get back up on her feet.

Noire had been on a monster extermination quest near the Lastation-Planeptune border, making sure she kept her distance. However, due to a slight miscalculation, she was overpowered by more powerful monsters, and during her escape, accidentally stepped into Planeptune territory.

Unbeknownst to her, Nepgear was watching the very moment she stepped across. In fact, she was waiting — hoping — for the Lastation CPU to make her way over. From the Planeptune Basilicom, she made her way to Noire's location.

She was in a good mood and wanted to give her neighbor a welcoming generosity. With only a snap of her fingers, every single nearby living thing, save for both the CPUs, was incinerated and left behind purple sparks and ashes, beautiful as fireworks at a festival.

Distracted by the scene before her, Noire had forgotten her whereabouts and, before she could remember what she was doing, was attacked.

It was payment for having Nepgear take the time off her day to rescue her.

Without a single retaliation, Nepgear had chased Noire all the way to the nearest canyon. Noire was getting tired and weak and was forced to transform back into her human form. Nepgear laughed at the lowly sight in front of her. The once proud leader of Lastation was now nothing but an everlasting stain on this world.

And they both know the very moment she, and the other two Goddesses, became those very stains. It wouldn't take much but a single twitch of Nepgear's hand to turn Lastation's symbol of Regality into a stain on the cliffside.

"Nepgear… please…"

"Sure."

Nepgear got off of her Gun Blade as if it she was willing to do something so inconvenient for the sake of another and held the tip of her weapon to Noire's chin.

"You want me to end it that badly, right?"

Noire tried to say something, but the fear of losing her life within the next few seconds was keeping her body's mechanics from working properly, choking on the air trying to escape her lungs.

The area was then covered by a large shadow. The sun disappeared behind a large silhouette. The ground shook from a loud roaring boom. Once her vision was cleared from the initial shock, Noire looked up and made out the silhouette to be a large dragon. After another roar, the dragon's long neck came swinging downward towards the two Goddesses, its aim to crush them and the entire cliff in one bite.

"Nepgear!" Noire cried out.

But it was an unnecessary waste of oxygen.

Before the dragon's large jaw had made contact, its entire body, no, its entire existence was engulfed by a dark purple flame, incinerating every single pixel of its being until it left behind nothing but purple sparkles and flames.

Nepgear didn't even look at her own work. Her eyes never left Noire's and it stayed that way for what felt like hours.

She pulled her Gun Blade away, stepped back, turned around, and lazily kicked a pebble off the cliff before she flew away.

"Nepgear…!"

The bug wouldn't stop speaking.

"Lastation will welcome you with open arms. So, think about visiting, okay?"

What? Was she inviting her for a war? No, Lastation's CPU was stupid, but she wouldn't be _that_ stupid. Or would she? Or was her intention to invite her to a tea party and talk about their days and laugh away?

Nepgear rolled her eyes and continued her way back home, blocking out any outside noise from entering the world in her head.

There was still time left for the day. Histoire wouldn't mind if she spent some time outside of the Basilicom. Besides, she found a spot in the middle of the forest that begged for her to come down.

She stretched her arms and back against the trunk of a tree. It's been quite a while since the last time she had any exercise. It felt good, really good, and she wanted to spend some time recuperating.

But then a sound entered her ears and caused a tingling sensation which made the world around, and time itself, freeze. Everything, except that sound. A gentle melody vibrating through one's lips. A melody that would make one stop and let themselves be embraced by its music, but this time, it made Nepgear released an unfounded rage, hostility, blood lust she didn't even know she harbored.

Someone was singing a song only she would have known. A song only Neptune and her would know. A song that resembled the deep connection between the Planeptune sisters.

The aura resembling black and purple flames escaped Nepgear's body. Each step caused the grass beneath her feet to burn, leaving behind nothing but the burnt ashes of the dirt. Her rage grew as so did the flames. She could burn the entire forest in mere minutes.

Gehaburn started manifesting within her hand, her fingers already gripped tightly around its hilt. Each step made her more eager to cut through the girl who was perverting the song her dear sister Neptune used to sing. Why or how this girl knew Neptune's song, it wasn't important. It hit her curiosity, sure, but it wasn't enough to satisfy her. No one deserved her sister.

"How was that, Neptune?" The girl said towards the lake.

Nepgear stopped in her tracks, confused. The lake was empty. Calm as ever. Not even a breeze to disrupt the solidity of the water's surface.

"I know, I know, but it's my favorite. It's my favorite." She brought her hands together and stared into the lake's depths as if she were about to throw her heart into it. "You were the one who taught it to me, after all."

Nepgear's brain had stopped at that point. There were too many questions. She wondered if they were even worth getting answered and continue with her original intent, but something in her was telling her she would regret it once those answers become unreachable.

Who was this girl? Nepgear didn't recognize her, but apparently she was close enough to her sister to learn the song she would sing to her when they would watch the stars in Planeptune's night sky. This lowly, ordinary citizen was, for whatever intents and purposes, a friend— no, a fangirl, most likely. It was ingrained in Neptune's character to love her citizens as if they were family and have fun with everyone and make them smile. This girl learning Neptune's song was simply a result of one of Neptune's day-by-day escapades.

Nothing to be surprised about, but it tugged her heart to find out it wasn't just her ears to have heard the sweet rhythmic noises from Neptune's lips. She wanted to punch herself for relying a random girl to even remember how the song went.

A branch hanging above Nepgear's head was engulfed in flames. A piece of it snapped off and fell, and just before it landed anywhere near Nepgear, she swung her arm and all the flames that had engulfed the foliage around her were instantly extinguished. Any evidence of burned marks and charred greenery were nowhere to be seen and instead were replaced by renewed leaves, grass, and bark.

It wasn't a very subtle action. The girl turned her head in surprise of Nepgear's appearance, but it seemed she hadn't realized what was going on just a moment ago.

The look of surprise was then replaced by a warm smile. "Hello there."

Well, she was caught. Not much to do about it now. "Hello," Nepgear said with a sigh, uninterested and bored. She felt forced to converse with her. "Lonely?"

"Not particularly, but more the merrier, right?"

She smiles too much, Nepgear thought.

The girl giggled. "I honestly didn't think anyone else would be here," the girl said. "I've been coming here often. Maybe we've missed each other? That would be crazy." She giggled some more.

She was getting annoying, but Nepgear wasn't too cold-hearted to let her know that. Well, she _did_ have the urge to kill her just seconds ago, but that was for selfish reasons and was probably far more considerate than acting hostile in front of her.

Nepgear stood behind the girl and leaned against the large tree. The girl didn't look at her and continued watching the calm lake. A blade to the back would be too easy.

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was even still having these thoughts. The idea of killing this girl was now just a long-gone fantasy. If anything, it's just for fun now. Still, she was grateful she didn't succumb to the heat of the moment and done something regretful and unbecoming of a CPU.

"Nice lake," Nepgear said.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I usually don't pay attention that much, but when I take the time to look at it, it truly is a beautiful lake, isn't it?"

Nepgear raised her eyebrow. Was this girl not interested in the lake itself? A slight jab to her pride, and sure, there was nothing outright _special_ about this place, but it was a piece of land secluded from the rest of Gamindustri, untouched by the cancerous torch of humans. This lake was a bastion for the purest form of mother nature.

Okay, most of it was simply sentimental value, but it still meant a lot to her. When Neptune wanted to wind down from the hard-work life of being a CPU — napping, eating, and playing videos — and a massage from Nepgear wouldn't be enough to ease those creaky bones of hers, they would head down to this lake and go swimming. Neptune would always "forget" her swimsuit and jump in naked. She was always poking fun at how slow Nepgear took to get ready and pushed her to go ahead and jump in as well, but there was no way in hell she would be able to do something so indecent and not die from embarrassment.

If she was still vulnerable to the feeling of embarrassment, her face would be a crimson red by now. Instead, she only blew air out of her nostrils as she looked out into the lake.

Neptune, splashing around in the middle of the lake in all her unabashed glory.

Damn, what a cute body.

A leaf from one of the nearby trees fluttered through the air and landed where the water covered Neptune's most precious area, causing ripples that obliterate the image of her from Nepgear's mind. With a flick of her finger, the leaf was then engulfed by a purple light until it was erased from existence.

"Huh? Where did that leaf go?" The girl leaned forward for a closer look, turning her head left and right trying to spot the now non-existent leaf.

So, this girl wasn't completely brain-dead. That's a relief.

But boring.

"What brought you out here?" Nepgear forced herself to continue their conversation.

There was silence. She was damn sure the girl had heard her and she sure as hell wasn't going to waste more of her energy to repeat those words a second time.

"Waiting for a friend."

"Oh, is that so?" Nepgear responded immediately just to suppress a groan. "It must be important if you two planned to meet out here. I should leave you alone then."

Just as Nepgear was about walk away, the tone in the girl's voice urged her to stay. "It's okay."

Nepgear looked at the girl who was now staring at the grass beneath her. Her smooth, flat back was as solid as the tree's trunk. Even the grass she was sitting on had taken form of her bottom as if she's been growing out of the ground as long as the trees in the forest.

"I'd like some company."

She shrugged and returned to leaning back against the tree's trunk. "Sometimes plans just don't work out, even if they were promises. They're not something you should hold dearly."

"You're wrong," the girl said. It was the first time she raised her voice, but it was still weak. Still, the surprise was enough to impress her. "She said she'd come. I've come back to this spot every day just to see her again."

Such determination, but for what reason? Love would be an obvious answer. "Who's this lucky person?"

"It's… embarrassing."

"That name doesn't sound familiar."

"…Planeptune's CPU."

Nepgear raised an eyebrow. Such a cheesy fantasy coming out of a citizen's mouth. She must be one emotionally dedicated fangirl to think just waiting here for the rest of her life would make a goddess appear.

Well, then again, she _is_ here, so that plan worked out pretty well. Still, she didn't remember having any plans on meeting _anyone_ outside the basilicom. The only people she had personal meetings with were Histoire and the Basilicom's employees. And, only due to the peace treaty, three other CPUs of Gamindustri. If she could have it her own way, she would make sure those meetings with the other nation's CPUs were unnecessary, but she couldn't have Planeptune's own people view their goddess driven by conquest.

However, it seemed the girl had yet to realize that her goddess is right here with her.

Hold on, she said "Planeptune's CPU".

From the back of the girl's head, she could see her looking down. Embarrassment, probably. She'd be embarrassed too if she was unaware of the presence of the current CPU of the nation. Was she completely clueless about the change of power? It must be blissful to be so dense, especially when the reality in the girl's mind consisted of Neptune still alive. Oh how much Nepgear wished to peek inside that impossible dream.

"Are you not from Planeptune?"

"No, I'm from Lastation."

Ah, makes sense. Probably. Not really. It's been years since Neptune's death and Nepgear's coronation. All of Gamindustri should be aware of the current political climate. None of it was a secret. Well, other than the fact that Neptune's death was by Nepgear's hands, but none of the humans would ever understand. The lost. The burden. The sacrifice. The pain.

For the first time, the girl stood up and faced Nepgear. She patted and straightened her uniform and then twirled with a pose, a "V" over her eye. "I'm a citizen of Lastation, born and raised. I'm currently a student at an all-girls school there, but I've always visited Planeptune since I was a kid. I made lots of friends here, and more importantly, this spot here, this is where I met Neptune."

"You met Neptune? Here? By the lake?"

The girl held her hands behind her back and rubbed her heel on the ground. "I know it's hard to believe," she said, unable to believe it herself, "but I was just sitting here and Neptune came up to me and said hello. Kinda like how we met just now."

Nepgear nodded. Her story made enough sense and there wasn't really any reason to not believe her even though she didn't really believe her. "And that's how you learned that song."

"Oh, y-you heard that?" She twirled around trying to hide her blush. She started humming a few notes of the melody while stepping around embarrassingly like a total klutz as she stared at the lake.

That melody. There was no mistaking it. It was the song Neptune used to sing to her all the time. The song she thought only reached the eardrums of the two Planeptune CPUs was being sung by a commoner unremarkable enough for anyone to — if this were a video game — not bother to create a sprite for the damn poor thing. A common peasant who would never reach any importance in society was dancing to the vibration of her own lips, producing a feeling of nostalgia through melodic and rhythmic patterns, unable to do anything but be lost in emotions Nepgear can only describe as… happiness. Happiness, which in turn, was just as nostalgic to her as the song itself. Happiness she was accustomed to, but hasn't experienced in so long.

She did not show it. She continued to watch and listen unamused, uninterested. But she was happy to finally hear the song once more. The song made her happy, and so she wondered, was there anything else that made her just as happy? Anything before the world she used to live in, the world she loved, was taken away from her? The desire to search through her memories came forth, but she suppressed those memories to the back of her mind, hesitant to relive the life she can never go back to no matter how much she wanted, no matter how much she tried.

"How was it? Did you like it?"

Nepgear was too lost in the song she didn't realize the girl's face was inches away from her own. She had finally remembered how Neptune's song went and was playing it in her mind over and over. The girl's use was fulfilled and her purpose in life now void. Nepgear had no use for her anymore.

"It was nice." But she felt she had to humor her. It was the least she could do for helping her remember, and in the end, she could at least satisfy her own curiosity as well. _Milk the cow until its dry_. "A young soul happens upon a goddess by chance and learns a wonderful tune. That's something beyond a rare occurrence."

"It must have been fate," the girl giggled.

 _Fate_. That single word can snap the single piece of thread holding Nepgear's sanity in place. Fate was a concept she refused to believe. Fate. Destiny. A road of someone's life paved in stone with no possible way to change its course. If such a concept existed, then it would mean Neptune's death was inevitable. She was meant to die. She was _supposed_ to die. Why? Why her? Why not the lives of those that wouldn't affect the happiness of those meant to live? Perhaps the more unfortunate souls?

Such as the other Goddesses?

Or even the humans?

Why only Neptune? Why not them? Did they deserve to live more than her sister?

"More like a lucky occurrence," Nepgear said.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I was really lucky to have met her. Don't want to sound like I'm not being faithful, but it's because of Neptune I realized all the goddesses are kind just like Noire."

Nepgear huffed.

She deserved to be incinerated on the spot for downright insulting a late Goddess. Comparing Neptune to a despicable, cold-hearted witch who turned out to be an ultimate traitor? They were all traitors. Giving up Neptune's life for their own convenience after spending years together as "friends".

Neptune would have never given up on them, so why did they give up on her?

But that's how it was, so Nepgear gave up on all of them.

The other CPUs, the other nations, the other heretics they call their people.

"I'm sorry," the girl said as she bowed apologetically. "I've been talking about myself so much, I haven't been letting you talk about yourself. So, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You must have a reason to be lurking around by the lake, right?"

Nepgear shrugged. "I just find this place calming."

"Oh, I know, right? It's like being in a private little world separated from the rest. It's so peaceful here— oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine." Nepgear waved it off. "My reason for being here isn't that important. I like coming here once in a while when I need some peace and quiet. It's also rather nostalgic."

"'Nostalgic'? So you've been here before?"

It was probably too much information and too long of a story, but Nepgear couldn't help but get lost in her own feeling of wistfulness.

"My sister and I used to come here when we needed to… 'get away' from work or the busy days of Planeptune. We would sit on the grass and let the cool breeze blow through our bodies and, if we used our imaginations enough, it would feel like we were flying through the sky and sitting on top of clouds. On warmer days, we would take a swim in the lake."

"Wow, you two had a memorable time together. Did you come here to go swimming, then?"

"I have no interest in swimming. I only did it with my sister and it was only fun then."

The girl pouted and Nepgear wasn't sure why. Did she say something she shouldn't have? Not like she cared, but it felt she was in the wrong for some reason.

"That's no fun. What if your sister asks, 'what have you been up to?' Do you say, what, 'nothing, I haven't been with you all day'? That's too clingy. Be more independent. You have a life, too, you know."

Hold on a minute, was she giving her a lecture? This wasn't something Nepgear had expected, being put on the spot by some person she just met on how to live her life. Who does she think is she? She was stepping over a dangerous line if she continued like this, but while it was starting to piss Nepgear off, she couldn't tell herself that she was… wrong.

It was quite embarrassing, to be honest.

Nepgear held her hands up. "I understand, but honestly, it's just how I am. I've always been by my sister's side in everything. I don't mind, because it's what I wanted all along. Just to be by her side and do everything with her."

"Wow, you really are clingy," the girl said with a deadpan look. "Dangerously clingy." She shook her head with a sigh and untied the ascot around her neck and let it fall. She then took off her school blazer and started unbuttoning her shirt.

"What… are you doing?" Nepgear looked on.

"Hm? What does it look like? It's pretty warm out, so let's go for a dip."

"I told you already, I'm not interested unless my sister is-"

The girl unbuttoned the last button of her shirt. It wasn't a very common sight to see a girl suddenly undressing right before your eyes. Actually, this shouldn't be a normal occurrence at all. Nepgear was distracted, her eyes glued to the girl's smooth midriff, she had only snapped out of the trance when she was pushed against the trunk of the tree.

"Stop acting all sheltered and live a little." She loosened Nepgear's ascot and pulled the lapels of her sailor uniform. The sounds of threads ripping pierced the air. "Taking a little dip never hurt— …You're an enemy."

Nepgear pushed her back and fell to her knees, covering her chest with what's left of her uniform. " _Goodness_ ," she breathed heavily. "What the… goodness…"

Her eyes widened as she mouthed those words once more. A childish phrase she found herself saying less and less until it was gone from her vocabulary. The rush this girl had put her through had made her spit out those words from deep down her subconscious. It surprised Nepgear. She wasn't ever sure if she was even still capable of saying it. She wasn't sure whether saying that phrase was more or less embarrassing than being forced to strip naked.

"Don't be such a baby," the girl said.

Nepgear looked up at her. A baby? She admits she had acted like a baby when Neptune was still alive. She was the little sister after all, and she couldn't have been happier than being in that role. That all changed and she realized she had to grow up. She had to mature and lead the nation as a CPU her citizens would be proud to put their faith in. A hardened will and stoic attitude. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it was the lack of those traits that brought the end for her sister, so she gave up her previous personality for one that was worthy of being Planeptune's CPU. One that her citizens would rejoice, one that her enemies would fear.

So, why is this girl looking down at her?

"I don't have a swimsuit," Nepgear said.

"Oh, that's right, huh? Neither do I since I wasn't planning on going swimming in the first place."

A moment of relief escaped Nepgear's lungs. She was safe once again.

"You okay?" The girl lent a hand.

Nepgear reached out and pulled herself up. "My clothes are, well, ruined, to say the least."

"Ah, that's too bad." With both hands, she grabbed Nepgear's arm and pulled her with all her might, swinging Nepgear like a discus, and tossed her in the lake. "All right!" She removed the rest of her clothes and jumped right in, the water splashing Nepgear before she got the chance to even think about what just happened.

The girl was laughing as she splashed water at Nepgear's face and swam circles around her. Meanwhile, Nepgear's eyes were in shock. Her mind was racing. Her head wasn't even in reality to be bothered by the initial coldness of the water. This wasn't a scenario Nepgear could ever imagine. This girl had attempted to strip her naked and put her hands on a CPU and forced her into the water.

If anything, this gave Nepgear a damn good reason to _kill_ her.

She watched as the girl swam around the lake with no piece of clothing on her body whatsoever. Happily as she can be with no care in the world. Only to swim, swim, swim until her limbs can move no more and her lungs stop providing enough oxygen to laugh.

Just like Neptune.

Neptune swam up to Nepgear and poked her nose. "Having fun?"

"U-uhh…" Nepgear hesitated to say anything and instead nodded her head.

"That's good." Her big sister pulled an article of clothing from behind her back. "'Cuz I got this and I'm pretty sure you need them when we're done."

She was holding something that made Nepgear turn a bright red. But why was she holding that out in the middle of the lake? Didn't she take those off before she jumped in? As her legs moved to keep herself afloat, a certain sensation tickled between her legs. A certain barrier was lacking.

Once it clicked in her head, instead of Neptune, it was the girl floating away from Nepgear, waving a pair of pink-and-white striped panties.

Yeah, she was definitely going to _kill_ her.

Hours went by and the sun fell behind the trees, its rays shining through the leaves leaving blotches of light reflecting off the lake's surface. Fireflies started to slowly gather above the middle of the lake, ambient balls of light danced on top of the still waters of the lake as if it were a stage.

"My classmates are always talking about how much money they spent on this super popular online game. There's stuff you can buy in-game that gives you super cool advantages that people who decide not to pay aren't able to get. They're so competitive about it, too. This one time, two of the boys in my class had a race to see who can get to the max level the fastest. At first, they were just going to grind it out for a few weeks, but one of my friends, that sly fox, put her charm on and they pretty much spent their whole allowance that month on EXP boosters. I felt so bad."

It was fortunate this girl was a lot more prepared than she gave her credit for. It turned out she was planning on swimming in the first place and had two sets of towels and an extra pair of clothing for herself. Nepgear's clothes were ruined, but it wasn't much of a problem since she could just fly home in her HDD form. Still, she had excellent foresight to bring an extra towel along.

"I can't imagine spending so much money on a single game," she continued. "Like, what's wrong with just buying it once? It's also crazy how people are spending so much more money on _free_ games. Can one game be worth spending so much money on? Well, on second thought, they're probably better at managing their money than I am. I'm one of those people who rarely even play video games, but are simply satisfied with purchasing them. My backlog is huge."

"Just like my big sis. She tries to go through her collection, but then holds them off in favor of the newest release, but even those are put on hold when she remembers to play the games she promised to complete. Nevertheless, it's an endless black hole of not being able to finish any video game whatsoever despite having all the time in the world."

"I totally get that! Whenever I look through my list of games, I just think, 'wow, look at all these games I know are super awesome and fun', but that's it. It will take so much effort to go through all of them that I prefer to just take the immediate satisfaction knowing I own them."

"You're hopeless," Nepgear giggled.

She couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun being face-to-face with someone else. Histoire? Well, their relationship has never been too personal, despite being the Oracle this whole time. They were friends, of course. Close friends. The only friend that stayed by Nepgear's side this entire time. But their relationship these days were more on the professional side, maintaining the nation and Planeptune's influence.

But they were still friends.

Would Histoire be willing to take a little break for a moment like this? Probably? Probably not. She rarely, if at all, took breaks back then. Oh, it was fun back then, too, wasn't it? Nepgear would usually find herself doing favors for Neptune and play video games with her. All day. Sometimes they would even visit the other nations back when the borders were much more loose.

Just bringing back those memories were putting her into a high of euphoria. Overwhelming nostalgia. It was giving her goosebumps.

Those images were accompanied by a familiar, soothing melody. The girl was singing that song again. This girl… is the first in so long to make Nepgear feel this way. Didn't she say she's from Lastation? It's been ages since she last visited. She wondered if Lastation today was still the same as in her memories. If a city was able to produce a girl such as her, it probably wasn't _that_ bad.

They were both sitting next to each other, leaning against the trunk of the tree, watching the fireflies perform their awe-inspiring ritual. The girl opted to not change into her new clothes and kept herself covered with a towel. Weird girl, but at this point, Nepgear just let it go. That was until she sneezed.

"You're going to get sick," Nepgear said.

She shook her head. "I'll feel bad being the only one wearing clothes."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"But I have to. It was a good thing I prepared a towel for you. Between you and me, I'm the motherly figure."

Nepgear's eyebrow twitched so hard it could have ripped off her face. "Is that how our relationship works?" She let out a deep breath, the ends of her lips perked upwards as she desperately tried to hide a smile. Damnit, she didn't want to admit it, but this bitch was starting to warm up to her. She's cute. Damn cute.

Nepgear rolled her eyes as she took one end of her towel and wiped some droplets off her face.

"You had fun, though, right?" The girl said.

Nepgear stared out towards the lake. A leaf fluttered until it gently landed and caused mini ripples on the water's surface. That same area where Nepgear went on a rampage and brought forth a vengeful wrath the world has never seen before. Not ever since the Deity of Sin last brought chaos to Gamindustri. No, that was nowhere near the calamity Nepgear brought on to this lowly girl.

She had splashed so much water until the girl could hardly breathe. When the deed was done, there was a certain feeling of liberation all over her body and from deep within her soul. Unfortunately, that feeling of satisfaction came to a quick end when the girl executed her counterattack. It was a back and forth battle of epic proportions and when it seemed there would be no victory, they both offered a treaty of peace.

If there was a different outcome Nepgear desired, it would be for it to have never ended at all.

"Yeah." Nepgear closed her eyes.

"I'm glad. I had fun, too."

"I can't wait to tell my sister all about it."

There was silence. Nepgear opened one eye to check what was up.

"Have you come here with friends before?" the girl said.

"I've only been here with my sister. It's our private spot."

"Ah, sorry for intruding. Still, since this place is so private, don't you think it's the perfect place for friends to gather and play?"

Well, what she said wasn't wrong. Teenagers always hung out with their friends at their favorite spots. Arcades, cafes, karaoke bars. Places they can just be together, talk about nothings, and entertain each other. It's these moments that would make anyone's day — no, their life. Experience joy, laughter, happiness. Everlasting memories.

"There's no need to apologize. I can't tell you to leave after all this time, now can I?"

"You make it sound like I was a bother."

"We live for the present as we look forward to the future."

"Why aren't you denying it?"

"The events of the past form the shape of the present."

"You're still not denying it!"

She pounced on top of Nepgear, and like a tiger, mercilessly pinned her to the ground. However, once Nepgear got over the initial shock, she looked more like — anyone who read her mind now be slain multiple times — a kitty. Such a small feline standing on top of your chest, wiggling its whiskers, wondering why you're so much bigger than it. Nepgear had even forgotten she was on the bottom. She was that light.

Although the girl would likely as much disagree, it was a sight to behold.

Nepgear tried to get back up, but the moment her hands touched the girl's waist, something inside her snapped.

The water had already dried from their bodies, leaving behind the soft, smooth skin that seemed to fit Nepgear's hand like a glove as her hand moved like gliding through water. It was more than just a handful. It felt like she wasn't feeling anything, but in fact, she was feeling everything.

The feeling was different from what she'd feel when holding Neptune. Neptune, despite indulging herself in pudding all the time, still had that sense for beauty like most young girls have, always wanting to keep her figure and, when the opportunity arises, show it off. Neptune was fit, not too muscular and just enough fat in places that most would say is the most sexy body type for her small size.

No, her waist, slender. Her back, solid. Her hips, firm. A layer of muscle beneath her stomach. Definitely an athletic body, a surprising trait for a dipsy girl and it was clear she preferred to keep in shape. Whatever she does in her own time, Nepgear wondered to herself, but more importantly, back to the girl's body at hand.

In Nepgear's hands.

Something clicked. Something that made her lose every thought that had nothing to do with describing what she was feeling at the moment. Something new, something delicate, but at the same time, it was familiar, it was nostalgic.

She once held onto someone with a very similar figure.

"H-hey…"

That voice barely made a dent in the haze clouding Nepgear's mind, but it was enough for her to look up at where it came from, still in a daze.

"You're… a-ah… how long are you going to be… touching me like that…?"

Nepgear never thought she would find herself into the position to apologize to this girl. Unfortunate, but this was the time to start doing so. The words formed in her head and then she looked into the girl's eyes. She never noticed before, but she had eyes one could lose themselves in. Red, jewel-like eyes. Damn, she took too long and now apologizing would be pretty awkward. She also hadn't released her hold on the girl's waist. In fact, they were probably traveling all over her body while she was thinking of how to apologize. This was the worst possible time to apologize and the timing was getting further and further away. At this rate, she will never be able to apologize.

But, then again, she probably didn't want to in the first place.

She thought of something else. Something more to her liking.

"You know… It's… I'm getting cold…"

She talks too damn much. Every time the mood starts to hit that "sweet spot", the noise coming out of her dumb lips spoil the moment. Maybe it's a good idea to just shut those lips herself, Nepgear thought, then maybe the only noise she'd be able to make would be sweeter to the ear.

"Please, be gentle," she teased.

"Shut up."

In one swift movement, Nepgear pulled her down, their bare skin meshed together as well as their lips that Nepgear had no qualms in taking without hesitation. If the girl had shown any signs of resistance, it wouldn't have mattered. Nepgear would have forced her into submission with ease. However, she willingly submitted to Nepgear's embrace which made everything easier in the end and Nepgear could just focus on indulging herself. In taste, touch, and sound.

Nepgear slowly opened her eyes with a yawn. She was greeted with the lake reflecting the moon and stars as her only source of light. The slight movements of the water made it seem like she was floating in space, watching the stars dance before her. It was beautiful, mesmerizing.

She felt a slight movement beneath her right arm. The girl had pressed her body against Nepgear's side. This kind of view was never anywhere near Nepgear's mind when she first met her, but as it is now, there was no way she was going to let the opportunity to ingrain this picture into her mind forever. She was beautiful, mesmerizing.

It made her smile.

The girl started humming. The same melody as before. The same melody she had always sung before. The same melody Neptune sang to Nepgear before. No matter how many times she hears it, it always manages to bring her back to those times. No matter how much she wants to leave them behind and move forward, that song is the only thing that binds her to the past.

"I'm having a performance in front of the school," the girl said.

"Is that why you're always singing that song? You're practising?"

"Mhm. The song is special to me. It was Neptune's song, so I always considered it to be a song of Planeptune's. Planeptune and Lastation used to be real close, you know? I thought if I sang it in front of the school, just for that one moment, Planeptune and Lastation citizens would befriend each other once again. I mean, I know it's not going to actually unite both nations, but… Geez, now it all sounds so embarrassing."

But which one of them was getting embarrassed?

Inside Nepgear's chest was a shaking feeling. Why would Planeptune and Lastation ever come together? Why would anyone in Lastation ever desire peace? No, in her arms was proof enough that someone wished for a world of a peace. Finally, someone other than Nepgear.

No.

Did she want peace herself?

The thought made her shake even more. There were many opportunities for the nations of Gamindustri to make peace once more. A Gamindustri just like when Neptune was still alive. A Gamindustri where everyone from all nations would mix and socialize. Celebrate and intermingle. A Gamindustri Neptune always envisioned and wanted to protect.

A Gamindustri Nepgear had been trying to avoid this whole time.

Why?

"What's the matter?"

Nepgear shook her head as she wiped her tears. "I think… you have a beautiful dream."

"Y-you think so? You think everyone will like my singing?"

"Of course. I love your singing, after all."

"Ah, thank you. You have no idea how happy that makes me. That's why I want to invite you to come watch my performance."

"Me?" Nepgear blinked. "In Lastation?"

Her stepping into Lastation? Having to degrade herself by entering such a lowly city?

…Would she even be allowed in? Wouldn't that spark something unnecessary? No…

 _Lastation will welcome you with open arms._

That's what that Goddess said.

That's what… Noire said.

Was it… really all right for her to go? Just to watch the performance? It's not like they'll be able to do anything about it. If the army of Lastation dared intervene with her activities, Nepgear could simply take care of them with a flick of her wrist. But would they look down on it? Why is it now she cares about what the other nations think?

It wouldn't have to come to that, would it?

It wouldn't hurt… to try.

For her.

"Of course, I'll go."

"You will?" She hugged Nepgear as tightly as she could. "Oh, thank you so much, thank you. I can't wait to see you there."

"Yes, don't worry. I'll do anything for you."

The girl blushed in surprised. "W-wow. You're saying that as if you're in love with me."

Nepgear looked at her in confusion before giving her response. "I do love—"

"I've always been looking at your eyes. You have the prettiest eyes, you know? But they're pretty easy to read. Even just now, you haven't been looking at me… for me."

Nepgear moved over and rolled on top of her, pinning her down. What did she mean by that? She can see her. She can see everything. Her eyes. Her face. Her lips. Her breasts. Her belly. That's all she could see and she could see everything.

So, why—

"You're thinking of someone else," she said with a smile. "Someone else more important to you."

Those words made the world around Nepgear freeze. Was what she was saying true? It couldn't be, because all she could see was her. Her eyes, Her face. Her body.

It was her she chose to break free from her mold, to break free from the darkness that she kept herself in, releasing all her emotions kept locked away in her heart all for this single girl.

It was her.

Her eyes. Her face. Her body.

Her eyes. Her face. Her body.

 _Her_ eyes. _Her_ face. _Her_ body.

No. It was _her_. It was _her_ and only _her_.

Tears welled and dripped from Nepgear's eyes only for the girl to wiped them from her cheeks.

"It's okay," she said. Her smile never left her face. "I forgive you."

Nepgear couldn't stop crying. This wasn't like her. At least, this wasn't like her for a very, very long time. She wasn't sure if bawling her eyes out was something she should be embarrassed for or something she should be relieved she was still capable of doing so.

At the very least, she had at least one thing to say.

"I want to watch you perform."

"What? Of course you are. You think I'm going to change my mind about you?" She giggled.

"I'm… Goodness, I'm… I'm sorry. I love hearing you sing."

"And I love you, Nepgear." The girl stuck her tongue out.

"I— Wait, what?"

Nepgear jumped off of her due to the shock of hearing her name.

"How did you—"

She tilted her head. "What? That's mean, you honestly think I'm dumb to think you weren't Neptune's younger sister?"

Nepgear held her head as if she were about to get smacked. Even without getting hit, her head was already hurting.

"I-I don't understand. You made me treat you like you were a… a…"

"Hey, you were acting cold from the start. I had no idea how to approach you. I forgive you. In fact, remember when I said our meeting was fate?" She grabbed Nepgear's hands from her head and held them against her lap. She started humming a short part of Neptune's song. "Nepgear, that song. Neptune used to sing it to you, right?"

Nepgear watched carefully and nodded.

"Neptune taught me that song as well. To be honest, even today I still wonder why Neptune decided to teach me that song, but now, I understand what she wanted me to do. That promise I made… The promise she made me make to her… I promised that if you ever found yourself in trouble, I would be the one to bring you back and take care of you."

Nepgear wasn't sure how long she could handle the bombs thrown at her. Or how many times time has to stop to the point she believed she was accidentally using her own powers to stop time itself.

And once again, her turmoils and inner demons were calmed by the gentle melody. The gentle embrace of each note soothe her heart and soul and broke the chains that kept the emotions she had thrown away long ago. The emotions she believed would have held her back as a CPU, the emotions that kept her humanity in check, including the memories that made Nepgear into what she is today. Or, more accurately, what she used to be.

The Nepgear every single person in Gamindustri adored.

The Nepgear that Neptune spent her whole life protecting.

The Nepgear that Neptune spent the final moments of her life wanting to see her younger sister smile one last time.

The Nepgear she threw away and everything associated with her.

It was her. It was who she was. It was who she was supposed to be. Why? Why did she give up everything and make everything worse? She wanted to make everything better, but why did everything go wrong? She was supposed to bring peace back to Gamindustri…

…but so was everyone else.

And she was tossing them to the side like trash instead of them a chance. The same chance she gave to this girl.

Just one afternoon had changed years of pent up pain and agony and those feelings were being released as waterfalls. She couldn't let herself be seen like this, but all she could think about now were all the mistakes she made until now. She couldn't help but wallow in her regrets and long-lost memories.

The girl held Nepgear's face in her hands. "Nepgear, you may have left everyone behind, but everyone is still waiting for you to return."

 _Lastation will welcome you with open arms._

Even if that was supposed to make her feel better, it only made her cry more. She had become a total crybaby and yet, that felt completely normal. The tears of sadness that smothered her face were also tears of happiness.

After what felt like hours, the well of tears finally dried up and Nepgear took the time to meditate and clear her mind.

"You think Lastation will be scared if I suddenly pop in?"

"No way, everyone will be glad, especially if you're there to watch all the students do their performances as well."

"That sounds fun, but I especially want to hear you sing your heart out."

"But you get to hear me sing anytime you want already," she giggled.

"Oh, but since it's not morning yet, I should take this time to give you my thanks."

"Hm? What's that?"

"I have to award you for bringing peace to Gamindustri." Nepgear pushed her back to the ground and pinned her down. "I'll be looking at you and only you until the sun rises."

"That's… I don't know why, but for some reason that's making me more embarrassed than before."

"Just don't tell Uni," Nepgear winked.

"Oh, so you _do_ remember her name," the girl pouted. She then smirked and said, "then I'll make you forget about her."

"…I thought I was supposed to be learning a lesson from this."

"I was just kidding, geez."

"I wasn't." Nepgear's smile was normal, but to the girl, it was frightening.

"Is this… old Nepgear… or the new Nepgear…?"

It was a reasonable question, but it opened up other questions such as, "which Nepgear is old and which is the new?" It was something to think about which would lead to many different conclusions, so rather than giving a straight answer, Nepgear instead shut her mouth and let the girl take the next few hours until sunrise to come up with an answer herself.

Of course, by then, they may never find the answer and they may never remember the question in the first place.


End file.
